showed signs of much use.

To the left of the fire-place was the one couch the room contained, and
to this the injured man at once made his way. He sat upon the edge and
rested for a few minutes. He was breathing hard, and most of the time
he kept his right hand to his suffering side. He seemed to pay no heed
to what was taking place around him, but stared straight before him as
if in a dream. He aroused at length, and glanced at the three standing
before him.

"Make yourselves at home," he said. "There is plenty of food in the
next room. It is quite warm there, for I always keep a fire going.
The women, I think, will find it comfortable. Sam, I want to speak to
you alone."

Jean was not slow in taking this hint, so she opened a door to the
right of the fire-place and passed into the adjoining room. This was
somewhat similar to the one they had just left, excepting that it was
not so cosy. The table had no cloth covering it, and upon it stood a
single candle stuck in a wooden candle-stick. This she lighted with a
coal from the fire-place, and then looked curiously around. Along one
side of the room was an abundance of provisions, all in bags, and
carefully arranged. There were blankets, too, piles of them, and
nearby a stack of furs. Jean thought of the Loyalists on the
A-jem-sek. Here was sufficient food and clothing to last them for some
time. And why should they not have them? She would speak to the owner
just as soon as possible, and no doubt he would be willing to send
something to the needy ones.

As she looked toward a corner of the room opposite the food and